Whereas consumers have certain expectations of a California Cabernet, rosé offers more freedom to experiment with out-of-the-way vineyards, eclectic grape varieties and novel winemaking techniques: the necessity is not so much to ‘impress’ as to refresh. That makes rosé appealing to up-and-coming young winemakers and well-established stalwarts alike.

Rosé has also attracted the attention of California’s new generation of sparkling wine pioneers. Inspired by the grower champagne movement and emulating its emphasis on single-vineyard, terroir-driven bottlings made on an artisanal scale, the early results already presage an exciting renaissance in North American sparkling wine.

The result is a burgeoning range of rosés that are versatile at the table, full of character and deliciously quaffable. Their usually modest pricing belies their quality. And take note: if the best metric of a winemaker’s talent is found in their humblest wine, some of these less heard-of producers seem destined for future stardom.